Joe Rogan is under fire yet again, this time for spreading false information about actor Steven Seagal and the war in Ukraine brought on by Russia.
Rogan’s now-deleted post contained a shot of Seagal outfitted in army gear from the 2016 film “Cartels.” The mock CNN report was photoshopped, and Rogan has since posted an update on Instagram, citing The Washington Post’s 2017 story about how Seagal was banned from Ukraine as a national security threat.
“I deleted my earlier post about Steven Seagal being in Ukraine because it was parody, which isn’t surprising, but honestly it wouldn’t be surprising if it was true either,” Rogan wrote. “He was banned from Ukraine in 2017 because he was labeled as a national security threat. I, like all of you hope the tragic situation is resolved there quickly.”
Reactions to Rogan’s recent social media activity criticized his lack of media literacy alongside the huge following he has.
Steven Seagal is not fighting for Russia currently. That image going around is from a movie he did in 2016 called Cartels. Use ya heads people. Especially you, Joe Rogan.
All he had to do is Google "cnn Steven Seagal" to see that that news piece does not exist. pic.twitter.com/LKXUjYiRar
Free speech is wonderful……. unless you're an idiot with a wide reach. @joerogan has got to be more responsible. He's in a position that so many more qualified people would kill for, and he takes that for granted.https://t.co/qWreqfIjSa
Joe Rogan's sharing fake information about Steven Seagal joining Russian special forces demonstrates his biggest problems—zero critical thinking skills and no understanding of when his jokes are appropriate.
Fact Check: Claims Steven Seagal Joined Russian Forces Invading Ukraine https://t.co/mcBzyd8okG Just another example of how Joe Rogan is performing a disservice to the American people, by spreading lies! It's a shame he doesn't use his notoriety to do good!
Others recall the tension brewed by his podcasting deal with Spotify, which many celebrities, musicians and other artists are boycotting because Rogan has spread COVID-19 misinformation on said podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
Rogan has also been blasted for his use of the N-word in his podcast by musicians like India Arie. Brené Brown paused her podcast production — the sociologist creates two podcasts with Spotify, “Dare to Lead” and “Unlocking Us” — to support the Spotify boycott.
Spotify has responded to boycotts, and has so far kept Rogan’s content up.
